Portuguese cleantech company SolarisFloat has developed an innovative solar solution that is more reminiscent of a floating island. The special feature: electric motors with one or two axis tracking ensure better alignment of the solar modules to the sun. Power consumption for solar tracking is only 0.5% of solar expansion.
The photovoltaic modules that float on the water lie flat and move with the rhythm of the current. The SolarisFloat solar island was installed as a prototype in the Netherlands.
The solar island is currently floating in the sea off Oostvoorne, a lake in the southwest of the Netherlands. The technology is called SolarisFloat Protevs.
The island consists of 180 mobile solar modules with a total installed power of 73 kilowatts peak.
Thanks to the technology that allows the double-sided modules to rotate according to the movement of the sun, energy efficiency can be improved by up to 40%.
The company offers two types of solutions:
- The first is the PROTEVS+, which includes 180 modules with dual-axis tracking. Like the project described above, it has a diameter of 38 m and occupies an area of 1,444 m2. The modules move vertically.
- The second solution is the PROTEVS Single360, which works with a single axis. It has photovoltaic modules with a fixed inclination of ten degrees and has 360 modules. Protev’s Single360 has an installed capacity of 147 kW peak with 410 W modules.
Solaris Float claims the solutions are modular, collapsible and scalable, and easy to install. Since they are removable, the islands can even be joined together to form a floating solar farm.
The shadows formed by the solar island would also have a positive effect: they cause a drop in surface temperature, which has a positive effect on the ecosystem. According to SolarisFloat, this reduces evaporation in the water body by 60%.
More information: www.solarisfloat.com
